Brazil vs. Bosnia: Recap, Key Incidents, Grading Neymar and Ronaldinho

Even when you're good, it pays to be lucky.

Brazil escaped with a 2-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and if not for a late own goal from Bosnia, Brazil would have been forced to settle for a draw.

Marcelo opened the scoring in the fourth minute for Brazil, before Vedad Ibisevic equalized for Bosnia nine minutes later. The score remained the same until second-half stoppage time, when Brazil got a fortunate winner.

But that doesn't tell the whole story. Here are all the key incidents, along with ratings for Brazilian superstars Neymar and Ronaldinho.

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Tiki-Taka, Tiki-Taka, Oh Boy

Brazil came out passing.

Then they passed a little more.

Finally, just more than three minutes into the match, the Brazilians stopped passing—and promptly scored the opener through Marcelo.

It was tiki-taka, followed by a swift kick in the teeth. When done right, it's pretty tough to stop.

After lulling Bosnia to sleep with three minutes of possession, Brazil broke forward suddenly and decisively. Barcelona's Dani Alves slithered through a crowd and a past foul—the referee waved play on—and laid on a perfectly angled final ball for Real Madrid's Marcelo, whose first-touch shot rattled off the far post and into the net.

From one defender to another, and from a Barcelona player to his Real Madrid rival, Brazil showed quickly how widely their attacks can range.

Julio Cesar: D'oh!

Bosnia-Herzegovina came into Tuesday's friendly ranked just 12 spots behind Brazil. Nine minutes after the opening goal, the distance between the teams shrank to nothing.

David Luiz, Brazil's own Sideshow Bob-lookalike defender, gave away the ball near midfield. Seconds later, Bosnia striker Vedad Ibisevic fired a tame shot low at Julio Cesar, who should have saved easily.

D'oh!

Instead of saving, which really would have been easier, Julio Cesar let the ball bounce off his legs, up and over his body, and into the net for the equalizer.

First-Half Chances

Both teams had chances to take a lead into halftime. Neither converted.

Longtime Tottenham target Leandro Damiao sprung Bosnia's offside trap in the 20th minute and forced a save out of keeper Asmir Begovic. Hernanes raced onto rebound and looked destined to score, but Bosnia captain Emir Spahic slid to make a stunning staving tackle.

Sasa Papac blocked another Hernanes effort in the 28th minute, and moments later Dani Alves bounced a dipping shot in front of Begovic, who pushed the ball out for a corner.

Meanwhile, Bosnia were creating chances of their own.

Zvjezdan Misimovic fired just over the bar from just outside box in the 22nd minute, and 11 minutes later Manchester City's Edin Dzeko sliced a shot high and wide from inside the area.

A few more minutes later, Dzeko raced down the flank and squared for Misimovic, who wasted a great chance by blasting way over.

Finally, Miralem Pjanic broke through into Brazil box in the 45th minute, but his poked shot was easy enough even for Julio Cesar to save easily.

Late Chances

Brazil stayed quiet for much of the second half while Bosnia attacked on the counter.

Misimovic took advantage of a hesitation by Brazil's defense and shot wide in the 58th minute. But Brazil went close on Hernanes' glancing header in the 67th minute and began to build pressure as the match headed toward stoppage time.

In the 87th minute, Hulk played in a low cross for Lucas, who whiffed. Bosnia responded with Dzeko's off-target shot at the other end before Lucas fired wide himself in the 90th minute after some fancy footwork at the edge of the box.

Then, in first minute of stoppage time, Brazil worked quick free kick to left flank, where Hulk crossed low into the box. Papac turned the ball into his own net for the decisive own goal.

Grading Neymar

Neymar didn't score, but he posed a threat throughout.

Looking even more like Rufio than normal, Neymar got loose down right side in the eighth minute, flashing his skills by pushing the ball around and past a Bosnian defender. He then ran on at light speed before being tackled hard near the byline by Spahic for a free kick.

Six minutes into the second half, Neymar forced a save out of Begovic after dribbling across the top of the box. Though it was a hard-hit shot, Neymar's shot was saved easily.

In the 74th minute Neymar sprung Bosnia's offside trap, raced down left and curled a shot toward back post. Begovic saved easily again, but the move showed flashes of Neymar's speed and skill.

Both were themes throughout the match, and Neymar even showed a willingness to track back on defense when needed. All in all, the 20-year-old played a pretty solid match.

Grade: B

Grading Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho wasn't nearly as good.

Having entered the game in poor form, Ronaldinho did little to change the perception that he's lost his edge. The 31-year-old often looked off the pace during his 63 minutes on the pitch.

Ronaldinho produced one good free kick in the first half, but he smacked another into Bosnia's wall. Often opting for chipped passes, Ronaldinho rarely put the right weight on the ball and more frequently than not gave away possession in the midfield.

He'll have to do better to justify his starting place ahead of Ganso.

Grade: C-minus